Wired UK, Year in Ideas Feature

 

Wired, UK asked me to create a series of icons for a feature called "Year in Ideas." The story showcases five groundbreakling technologies in 2011. Very cool stuff. Very difficult to capture in an icon. But it was a great excersize and a lot of fun to work on.

Lab on a Postage Stamp
"Doctors could soon carry a whole lab in their pocket, thanks to intricate patterns engraved on plates of glass. The micrometer-wide channels allow scientists to control a single drop of blood or saliva, guiding it through a circuit of precursors, mixing chambers and reagents to aid diagnosis. The practice of controlling fluids at this tiny scale is known as microfluidics." writer, Frank Swain

The New Haptics
"There’s not much touch in a touchscreen: you can feel your finger on the glass or plastic, but the more nuanced sensation of a physical button – such as edges and resistance – aren’t there. Yet." writer, Tom Cheshire

Inner Texting
"Trillions of mobile phone text messages are sent each year by the use of letters of the alphabet that correspond to numbers on the keypad: the letters A, B or C are ghosted on top of the number 1 key, and so on. This mapping has become so pervasive that it is now imbedded in our unconscious and affects our understanding of numbers through unnoticed verbal associations." writer, Vaughan Bell

Genome Hacking
"For years, scientists have been able to alter one or two genes in an organism of choice. But Peter Carr and George Church can make sweeping simultaneous edits across an entire genome. It’s biology’s equivalent of Find and Replace All." writer, Ed Yong

Crowd Restoration
"As digital production becomes standard in Hollywood, many great films are being left to die in archives around the world. Mark Cousins, a film writer and documentary director, whose epic 15-hour Story of Film told the history of innovation in cinema, has come up with an idea to save them from obscurity." writer, Adam Dawtrey

 

Wired Magazine UK Illustrations

 

Last week I was excited to receive an email from Wired Magazine UK asking me to do a series of five simple spot illustrations for a story on how to make a short film. Here's what they got. 

1: Find Your Idea
2: Lights, Camera... (what equipment you should own)
3: Action!
4: Conquer the Cutting Room 
5: Sell, Sell, Sell

CSCA Pinewood Derby 2011

It's that time of year again. Spray on a coat of paint, polish up those axels, and bring that chunk-o-wood to the 2011 CSCA Pinewood Derby. If you dont have a chunk-o-wood with wheels, come on down anyways and vote for your favorite cars and watch the races. All of the important information can be found on CSCA's Website.

Serious Play Time



In my world, "play" is as important as "work" and I'm grateful for clients and partners who understand this.

One month before I left for our 2-week vacation I sent out an email to all of my clients letting them know that I would be out of the office and would have no access to any of their project files. I know myself too well; if I had a computer with me, it wouldn't be a vacation and my time away with my wife and kids would suffer. To be honest, I wasn't 100% sure how this would be received. But, as hoped, the only responses I received were "have a great vacation; you deserve it; don't think about our project 'til you return." Wow, I'm so blessed. 

For me, vacation (play) recharges my creative batteries. It allows me to connect with my family on a deeper level and create lasting memories. While it's hard to think about taking 2 weeks of billable time off, it really does pay off in the end. You can't recreate memories and you certainly can't love on your family too much. The kids will only be kids for so long and it's great to have a job that allows me to enjoy them while they are still living at home.

So, thank you to all of my clients, partners and vendors for giving us a break from the norm. Without you it wouldn't have been possible. For more vacation photos you can visit my Flickr site.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

thanks Lomography.com!

Lomography.com just posted a very nice article about my vintage camera prints. Read it here:

http://www.lomography.com/magazine/news/2011/06/30/vintage-camera-post-a-prints

And while you are there, check out all of the other cool stuff on their site. It's packed with great content and beautiful photos.